Studio: international art (3.1894)

Woodcut Printing in Water-Colours

to choose between an early and a late impres-
sion."

" And who is responsible for the actual taking
of these impressions ? Is the artist-originator in
Japan also the engraver and eventually the
printer ? "

" By no means; amongst us there is a distinct
line of demarcation between the functions of the
three artists who unite in producing a coloured
print. We know no Diirer, who engraved and
printed his own creations, and no William Blake,
who added the further charm of colour to his.
The method of producing such prints as we have
just been looking at is a simple one to describe.
The artist in the first place produces a design,
bearing in mind throughout, of course, the limita-
tions and conditions of the process of which his
work is the first stage. This done, he hands it to
the engraver, who cuts it out in line, and in his
turn passes the block to the printer, who takes a
black-and-white print from it which he submits to
the artist. The latter then paints in on this proof
the first colour, and hands it to the engraver to cut
the block showing this tint. The block then goes
to the printer, who prints from it, and returns the
second proof to the artist who paints in the second
colour."

" I understand, then, that a separate block is
used for each colour ? "

" Precisely. The process I have just described
is gone through each time a new colour is used,
and if five colours (say) are employed in a picture,
it must pass through the artist's, engraver's, and
printer's hands the same number of times. And
indeed there is a further subdivision of labour.
For in the case of a very special picture, the
same block passes through the hands of two or
three engravers, each of whom is an expert in the
treatment of some particular feature. Thus one
may be employed to cut the face, hands and feet,
another for the roots of the hair on the forehead,
and a third for the folds of the dresses. As a rule,
the artist instructs the engraver in the following
way : he paints his picture both outline and
colouring—finishes it completely, in fact. This
done, he gives it to his pupil, who traces success-
ively the outline of the various colours, and from
these sheets the engraver works."

" And as regards the printing process : I take
it that the Japanese never employ a printing-
press ? "

" Well, I can hardly state it quite as positively
as that. I can show you here a print produced by
a very simple and primitive form of press ; but, as

a rule, the whole process of Japanese block-printing
is opposed to such mechanical method. You will
understand this when I point out that, in con-
tradistinction to the European principle of pressing
the block on the paper and thus obtaining your
impression, we lay the paper on the block, and,
dispensing with mechanical means, are enabled to

FROM A CUT, AFTER KORIN IN TWO COLOURS

regulate and modify the pressure as and where we
wish, and thus to obtain the gradated tints and
half-tones that are so great an element of the charm
of Japanese coloured prints. The printer's outfit
is a fairly simple one. He has in front of him two
wooden boards like drawing-boards, of which one
is slightly slanted towards him. It is upon this
latter that he does his printing work. The other